National Struggle Front bloc leader Walid Jumblat recommended the parliament on Monday to adopt the suggestions of the March 14 opposition on the controversial extra-budgetary spending of 2012.

In remarks to As Safir daily, Jumblat said his stance from the cabinet’s bill is “not negative.” But he has been informed about the remarks of the opposition al-Mustaqbal bloc “which I think should be taken into consideration to guarantee the legality of the bill.”

The parliament on Monday approved a draft law on hiring Electricité du Liban contract workers on a full-time basis.

The candidates will have to take part in a closed contest organized and supervised by the Civil Service Board, state-run National News Agency reported.

Meetings in parliament on the sidelines of the legislative session on Monday enabled the rival political parties of reaching an agreement over the controversial issue of financial spending following months of political quarrelling.

The deal on the LL11 billion bill was reached after some amendments were agreed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour was informed Sunday that a four-member International Criminal Court team comprising Lebanese national Helene Assaf, detained in Libya since weeks, will be released soon.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the ICC members are in good health and will be transferred from Zintan area, where they are being held, to Tripoli and later to Rome.

Two members of the anti-drug unit were wounded on Saturday during a raid in the Bekaa province of Baalbek, reported the National News Agency.

They were chasing two suspects wanted for drug related charges in northern Baalbek near Deir al-Ahmar when a shooting broke out leading to the security forces’ injuries.

Cabinet is expected to meet on Tuesday in order to address the amended state budget draft law, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

It added that Prime Minister Najib Miqati held a series of contacts with a number of concerned officials to place the finishing touches of the draft law.

Parliament is expected to convene on Monday and Tuesday in order to tackle 33 projects and draft laws, most notably one on state institution expenses and the other on the employment of Electricite du Liban contract workers, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

Several contacts were conducted between the rival parliamentary majority and the opposition in order to ensure that spending draft law will be tackled at parliament, said the daily.

The Imam of Sidon’s Bilal bin Rabah mosque Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir stressed that he will not suspend the sit-in that he has been staging in the city until his demands are met.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun reiterated that the adoption of proportional representation in the parliamentary electoral law will help reflect Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat’s real political weight, reported An Nahar daily on Sunday.

He told the daily: “Jumblat is suffering from an inferiority complex. He fears the Christians, Shiites, and Sunnis because they outnumber him.”

The son of herbal expert Zein al-Atat was released on Saturday after mediations were successful with the kidnappers, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said that Ibrahim al-Atat was released on the outskirts of Baalbek.